


evening star guiding me so bright

by blueblueelectricblue



Series: a star spinning in orbit, lighting up the sky [8]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Accidents, Diapers, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Wetting, canon? What's canon?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 20:32:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19158469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueblueelectricblue/pseuds/blueblueelectricblue
Summary: Bucky isn't sure who's more excited for their trip to the National Zoo, him or Steve. Well, it's probably not fair to include Steve in the competition, considering he doesn't know about it yet. Bucky's got to havesomesurprises up his sleeve.(Or, the one I wrote for The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea and Wafflicious. Takes place sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving.)





	evening star guiding me so bright

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Secret_Life_Of_Tea/gifts), [Wafflicious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wafflicious/gifts).



_Today’s the day_ , Bucky thinks, a grin spreading across his face as he checks the weather app on his phone. He’s been planning this for what feels like forever, and _finally_ they have the optimal conditions to go. No rain or sleet in the forecast, just plenty of autumn sunshine to counterbalance the crisp air. Plus, Steve’s woken up feeling little for no real reason; as a consequence, he’s being exceptionally cuddly and sweet right now. Bucky’s definitely loving the extra hugs.

“What’s funny, Daddy?” Steve asks from his position glued to Bucky’s side.

Bucky sets his phone down on the bedside table and ruffles Steve’s hair. “Nothing at all, Stevie.”

“M'hungry. Can we have breakfast now?”

“Yes, we can. Cheesy scrambled eggs and toast sound good?”

“How ‘bout pancakes?”

“Not today, bud,” Bucky says, even though it _deeply_ pains him to do so. He wants to leave as early as they can so that they’re home before the inevitable afternoon crash on Steve’s part, and pancakes take too much time. “But we can have strawberries with our eggs and toast.”

“And orange juice?”

“You can have orange juice. But first we’re going potty.”

“Don’t gotta go,” Steve tells him, even though he practically sprints into the bathroom as soon as his eyes are open every single morning.

“Yes, you do. C’mon.”

It’s a testament to how good a mood Steve’s really in that he doesn’t keep arguing and allows Bucky to lead him into the bathroom. Steve goes first and washes his hands afterward without being asked, and once Bucky’s done the same, he opens the cabinet under the sink for Steve.

“What are we wearing today?” Bucky asks him.

Steve takes a moment to think about it and then delves into the cabinet, emerging with a pull-up. It’s the kind he usually only wears to take a nap, thick and covered in blue stars – more like a diaper, really. “Not a baby, but not too big,” he explains.

“Sounds good to me. Want any help?”

He shakes his head. “I can do it.”

“Just let me know, lovebug.” Bucky grabs a couple more of the pull-ups and a diaper with teddy bears on it from the cabinet as Steve changes.

“What’re those for?” Steve wants to know.

“Well, I thought we might need some extra for the trip I have planned for today,” Bucky says with faux nonchalance.

Steve’s eyes flicker between the diapers and Bucky’s face a few times and asks hesitantly, “A trip? Like outside?”

“Yes, like outside, where you will be wearing clothes that keep you warm and a jacket that covers your bum and where nobody will be looking at us because they’re gonna be looking at what’s there,” he answers. Steve’s been getting better about it but still needs extra reassurance.

“Where are we going?” His shoulders are already beginning to lose their squared tension.

‘How would you like to see some animals at the zoo today?”

Steve’s whole face lights up, anxiety about being little in public now forgotten. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Let’s brush our teeth and comb our hair and get dressed so we can have breakfast, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

Steve practically bounces along as they make their way back into the bedroom. “I wanna see the elephants first, Daddy. And then the lions and the tigers and _all_ the birds.”

“We can see all those things. They also have monkeys and bears and frogs and lizards.” Bucky opens the drawer of Steve’s dresser.

“I wanna wear my Nightwing t-shirt,” Steve announces, “and my Finn the Human hoodie.”

“Good choice, kiddo, that hoodie is nice and warm. How about these?” Bucky holds up a pair of soft, worn-in jeans.

Steve nods eagerly, and Bucky sets about helping him get dressed. He has Steve pick out a pair of socks and put them on while Bucky changes into a similar outfit, only the t-shirt and hoodie are both black, because that’s just how he rolls. Once their shoes are on, Bucky takes a minute to grab a backpack out of the closet and fill it with supplies – diapers, a travel pack of wipes, a small bottle of baby powder, a tube of Desitin, and an extra pair of pants – and brings it along with them into the kitchen.

“You’re in charge of making the toast, bug.” He hands Steve the loaf of multigrain bread that’s in the bread box. “I’ll take care of the eggs.”

“Three pieces for you?” Steve asks, untwisting the tie.

“Yes, thank you.”

Bucky rinses the strawberries and lets them air-dry in the sink while he gets the eggs going. Altogether it’s only 10 minutes before they’re sitting down at the kitchen table, and Bucky’s put on the radio so they can listen to the morning traffic report. If the Metro’s fucked, they’re definitely going to take an Uber, he decides as he douses his eggs in hot sauce, but it seems to be running okay. Bucky offers the bottle to Steve, who takes it but uses considerably less on his own food.

“Hey, Stevie, I need you to stop, look, and listen for a minute,” he says.

Steve does, but he keeps eating, which Bucky had expected. _Nothing_ gets between this kid and his food. “Yeah?”

“So we’re gonna be out for a while today, and there’s a couple of things we need to go over before we leave. This is gonna be a longer trip than you’re used to,” Bucky tells him, “and if at any time you want to take a break or even if you want to go home, we’ll do that right away. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“The National Zoo is a very big place and it’s very easy to get lost there. So I need you to take extra special care and really listen to me today. If you want to see something, you tell me. You don’t just start walking there by yourself. Got it?”

Steve nods. “I’ll be good, Daddy.”

“You’re always good, bug.”

“I am?”

“The best.”

“The very best?”

“The very, _very_ best.” Bucky leans across the table and gently tweaks Steve’s nose to make him laugh.

By the time they’re almost ready to leave, after hands have been washed and final trips to the potty have been made and jackets are zipped up, Steve’s abuzz with excitement. He can barely stand still while Bucky adds snacks, water bottles, and a phone charger to the backpack.

“Are we ready yet, can we go?” He rocks back and forth on his heels, both hands stuffed in his pockets.

“I’d say so. Is there anything else you want to bring?”

“Blankie, but it won’t fit,” Steve admits.

“How about Ray?” Bucky suggests.

He’d bought Steve a small stingray about ten days ago, not long after their return from New York; it’s textured and sparkly on the top and smooth on the underside, filled with sand so that it’s more weighty and substantial than a regular plush toy. It gives Steve something unobtrusive to focus on and play with when they’re out of the house on short trips as daddy and little, but Bucky’s seen it peeking out of Steve’s sweatshirt pocket more than once as an adult.

“Oh yeah! I forgot!” Steve runs into their bedroom and is back in record time – fast, even for him – with Ray in hand. “Does he have to go in there?”

“Nope.”

He beams at Bucky and stuffs Ray into his right coat pocket, where it just barely fits. “ _Now_ we can go?”

“You bet, kiddo.” Bucky slings the backpack over his shoulders and holds out his hand for Steve to take.

The Metro ride is unremarkable in spite of the fact that they’re doing it at 8 AM, and besides, it’s only two stops to Cleveland Park anyway. From there it’s a walk of less than fifteen minutes to get to the Visitor Center, where they pick up a map of the zoo and a scavenger hunt worksheet centered on different habitats, because why not?

Bucky opens the map and pulls Steve into his side so they can both look at it at the same time. “What do you want to do first? The Asia Trail is here—” Bucky points to his right. “—and the cheetah conservation area is here.” He points to the left.

“Cheetahs!” Steve declares and barely gives Bucky enough time to fold the map and stick it in his pocket before impatiently tugging him along.

Time passes more quickly than Bucky had anticipated, and he’s grateful that they both have enhanced physical abilities. Keeping up with an excited Steve who wants to make sure he finds every single animal on the scavenger hunt list takes a _lot_ of energy, and when Bucky looks at his watch, it’s already after 10:30. Bucky’s also taken approximately a hundred photos with his phone at Steve’s insistence, including a few selfies of them in front of a particularly funny flamingo who had clearly enjoyed hamming it up for the camera.

“Hey, kiddo, I think it’s time for us to take a little break,” Bucky says, spotting the bathrooms at the Elephant Outpost.

“No, Daddy! Wanna see the elephants.” Steve strains against Bucky’s grip on his hand, futilely.

“We’re gonna see the elephants,” Bucky tells him patiently, “but first we’re gonna have a drink and a snack and a potty break.”

He shakes his head so hard it makes his hair fall into his eyes. “Don’t need that stuff.”

“I think you do. And even if you don’t need it, I do.” He uses his free hand to brush Steve’s hair back into place. “We have plenty of time before the talk at eleven.”

Steve grumbles for a bit before finally accepting a bottle of water and one of his custom-made protein bars, which he consumes while sitting on a bench and enumerating in detail his favorite animals so far, which include the clouded leopard, the American bison Wilma and Zora, the Asian small-clawed otters, and the sloth bears.

“You must be really having a good time, Stevie. I haven’t heard you say you’re hungry once,” Bucky teases him.

Steve sticks his protein bar-covered tongue out. “Not hungry ‘cause you’re making me eat, Daddy.”

“You’ll thank me for that later. We’ll stop for lunch when we get a little further south. There’s lots of food trucks that way.” Bucky drinks the last of his own water, putting the cap back on so he can refill them at the fountain.

Steve is visibly relieved to see only light traffic in the men’s room, and even more so when nobody pays any attention to them entering the handicapped stall. Bucky, as usual, makes Steve go first, praising him quietly for keeping dry. (Steve’s smile could light up the whole city.) By the time Bucky’s finished using the toilet and they’ve washed their hands, it’s almost eleven. They refill their water bottles, which Bucky stashes in the backpack once more, and head over to where the elephant keepers are doing their talk.

They stay a long time, well past the twenty-minute presentation, because Steve’s so enchanted with the Asian elephants. Bucky can understand why – they _are_ incredibly charming animals. Eventually, after several dozen more photos and a promise to come back before they leave, Bucky’s able to persuade Steve to move on so they can see more animals. Fortunately, once they’re walking the American Trail, Steve’s already forgotten about it and gets engrossed in the bald eagles.

“Look, Daddy, she’s like you,” he whispers, pointing to the eagle called Annie, who’d had to have part of her left wing amputated after an injury.

Bucky pulls Steve in close for a side hug. “That’s right, she _is_ like me. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Yuh-huh.” Steve leans against him, and they stay like that for a few minutes, just watching Annie interacting with her environment, before moving on to the seals and sea lions.

“Hey, Stevie, there’s a couple of otters,” Bucky points out.

“They have _more_?”

“Yep. The ones we saw before were Asian, and these are American. See? They’re bigger.”

“Oh!”

The Amazonia exhibit is fun, but they each have different reasons for their assessment; Bucky is fascinated by the Coral Lab, whereas Steve loves the frogs and salamanders. They both agree that the electric eel is pretty cool, though. Bucky decides that they’ll finish the rest of the exhibits by going clockwise to make for an easy exit after Great Cats, but not before they’ve had something to eat. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to let Steve get hangry.

Fortunately, their timing is good – they beat most of the lines – and Steve finds them a bench to sit on while they munch their way through several grilled cheeses and a couple dozen dumplings, all of which are totally delicious. Bucky’s glad he’d thought to grab extra napkins because, damn, this chili-ginger dipping sauce that goes with the pork dumplings is _so good_ and yet it wants to get _so everywhere_. He helps Steve get his hands mostly clean with the help of the napkins and hand sanitizer, figuring they can do a more thorough job in the bathroom soon. Bucky’s trying to get the mess off his own hands when he realizes that Steve’s extensive wiggling isn’t just his usual defiance of Bucky’s ministrations.

“Steve, do you need to go potty?” Bucky asks him softly; the passersby aren’t likely to hear them, but he knows it makes Steve feel better if he can be reasonably sure nobody’s listening.

Steve nods, squeezing his legs together. “Gotta go _now_ , Daddy.”

Bucky grabs the rest of their trash and shoves it into a nearby bin, then slings the backpack over his shoulder. “Let’s go, Stevie.”

Steve takes Bucky’s offered hand and they practically run to the bathroom, but he stops dead just as they get inside the door, freezing in place and almost throwing Bucky off-balance. Bucky’s about to ask what’s going on when he sees Steve’s stricken expression and figures it out.

“C’mon, buddy, let’s get you changed.” Bucky squeezes his hand and steers them into an unoccupied family stall.

“M’sorry, Daddy,” he says in a tiny voice, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

“None of that, now,” Bucky replies and ruffles his hair with a smile to reinforce just how much of a non-issue it is. He’d anticipated at least one accident today, because even when he’s trying, little Steve just isn’t that great at paying attention to his body.

“Can we still go see the lions and tigers?” Steve wants to know, turning Ray over and over in one hand.

“Of course we can! What, did you think this was gonna slow us down?” He plants a noisy, sloppy smooch on Steve’s cheek to make him giggle and opens up the backpack.

“Not that one, Daddy,” Steve whispers when he sees the diaper on top of the stack inside. “M’still big.”

“I know. It’s for just in case.” Bucky smooches him again and helps Steve get his jeans off. Steve holds them over one arm while Bucky tears the sides of his wet pull-up and cleans him with a few wipes. Then they reverse the process and Bucky has Steve step into the new pull-up, then back into his jeans again. Steve insists on zipping and buttoning them himself, and Bucky figures he might as well take a potty break of his own.

“Wait!” comes a hiss and a yank on his metal arm when Bucky starts opening the stall door.

“What, Stevie?”

“ _Look_ first.”

Bucky has something to say about bossy little boys – a great many things to say, actually – but he humors Steve anyway, because at least he hasn’t freaked out yet. Honestly, Bucky’s kind of impressed by how well Steve’s handled his accident. But then again, he’s got plenty other things to occupy his mind here at the zoo. Bucky doesn’t think he’s seen Steve so single-mindedly enjoying anything in the past few months – well, if Bucky doesn’t count Steve jumping out of things he shouldn’t, anyway, like planes and helicopters. It happens _way_ more often than anyone who doesn't personally know Steve could possibly conceive of.

“Okay, the coast is clear,” he tells Steve after scanning the rest of the bathroom through the gap between the stall and its door.

Steve grabs the plastic shopping bag with the wet pull-up inside and ties it up, chucking it into the nearest trash can and shoving it deep down inside, huffing with relief that they haven’t been noticed. He doesn’t even complain when Bucky makes him wash his hands again because he hadn’t done it right the first time and accepts help buttoning up his coat before they leave.

“What’s still left on your scavenger hunt list?” Bucky asks him once they’ve started back on their way again.

“Um.” Steve takes the paper out of his other coat pocket and uses his finger to trace along the slots he’s already filled out. “Needs a large area, lives in grasslands, lives in a desert, and lives in trees.”

“Wow, Stevie, almost done! You’ve found a lot of these animals already.”

He smiles shyly at Bucky and stuffs the paper back into his pocket. “Can we go see the Komodo dragon now, Daddy?”

“You bet,” Bucky agrees, looping his arm through Steve’s and starting them off toward the Reptile Discovery Center.

It’s pretty amazing how the cliché about time moving fast when you’re having fun holds true, Bucky reflects while Steve’s rapt attention is fixed on the lions, a few of whom are batting around balls or shredding burlap sacks or scratching their backs on logs. He’s surprised when he checks his phone and sees that it’s almost 3:30; Bucky could have sworn it wasn’t even three yet. It does mean, however, that he’s going to wrap up their visit shortly, to both avoid the worst of rush hour and Steve getting cranky after having the constant stimulation of the day.

Bucky wraps his arms around Steve from behind, putting his chin on Steve’s shoulder to follow his gaze. “We should get going, lovebug,” he murmurs. “Starting to get late.”

“Do we _have_ to?” Steve asks plaintively.

“I’m afraid so, Steve. But we can come back anytime.”

“Like tomorrow?”

Bucky laughs. “I don’t know about tomorrow, but soon. But there _is_ one more thing we can do before we go.”

“What?”

“I was thinking that the carousel looked like it would be fun.”

“It has _lots_ of animals on it, Daddy. I saw pandas and cheetahs and giraffes.”

“Did you?” Bucky nuzzles Steve’s cheek to make him giggle.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

"Now?"

" _Yes_ , Daddy, come onnnn." Steve drags out the word as he starts dragging Bucky toward the carousel.

Steve can barely stand still as Bucky pays for the tickets, shifting from foot to foot with anticipation. In fairness, the carousel does look awesome, so Bucky can understand it. As expected, Steve makes a beeline right for a carved elephant, and to stay near him, Bucky takes a gazelle-type thing with huge curved horns. He wishes that he could bottle the feeling that wells up inside him when the carousel starts to spin and Steve laughs with delight, but Bucky settles for a photo instead. They get one last picture together with Bucky standing next to him after the ride has stopped, arm around Steve’s shoulder and the two of them grinning into the camera.

And just for fun, Bucky tugs him into the gift shop at Great Cats to buy them matching gray hoodie sweatshirts with a lion on the front and “National Zoo” written along the right sleeve. They don’t really _need_ more hoodies, but it’s worth the money to see Steve’s surprised, pleased expression when Bucky suggests it. Their timing for the Circulator bus couldn’t be better, as it pulls into the bay as soon as they get there, and when they’re riding the Metro back to Dupont Circle, Steve leans on Bucky in a way that cements his decision to have Steve take a nap when they get home. They’ve been out for almost eight hours now, with a lot of people and a lot of new sights and a lot of walking, and Bucky could use the time while Steve sleeps to get dinner started and maybe just stare at the wall for a while.

Steve’s wet again by the time they get home, which he sheepishly discloses as they ride the elevator to their apartment. Bucky responds by scooping Steve into his arms and carrying him inside and right to their bedroom. Steve slips his thumb into his mouth while he’s changed into a diaper, protesting around it when Bucky informs him that it’s time for him to have a rest.

“No rest, Daddy, m’awake,” he mumbles.

Bucky’s already peeling back the covers. “Just close your eyes, Stevie.”

“No, don’ wanna.”

“I’ll lie down with you until you’re asleep, how’s that sound?”

“Mmph.”

Bucky fishes one of Steve’s pacifiers out of the bedside table and uses it to replace Steve’s thumb. “Scoot over,” he says, and slides under the blankets next to Steve anyway even though Steve does not scoot over. He's honestly the worst bed hog ever and always has been. It’s amazing how he manages to take up the entire mattress when he feels like it. Steve had even been a master at bed hogging when he weighed ninety pounds.

“No sleep.” Steve blinks rapidly in the effort to keep himself awake.

“Yes, sleep.” Bucky kisses his forehead. “I’m right here, baby.”

He yawns and it practically shakes the whole bed when he does. “Daddy?”

“Yeah, Stevie?”

“Thank you for takin’ me to see the lions an’ the otters an’ the eagles an’ the bears.”

“You’re welcome.” Bucky gives him a squeeze. Ugh, it’s getting hard for him to stay awake, what with how warm Steve is and how much running around he’s done today himself. “I’m glad you had a good time. What was your favorite part?”

“The elephants!”

“Oh yeah?” Bucky smiles, not at all surprised by the answer.

“Wanna see them again.”

“We will. Now close your eyes for me, okay?”

“Mmhm.” Steve yawns again, burrowing his head into the pillow.

Bucky falls asleep next to him right in the middle of planning a visit to the aquarium. Steve’s going to _love_ the jellyfish, he just knows it.

**Author's Note:**

> The National Zoo scavenger hunt list is real, as are all the exhibits and the animals I mentioned. Make sure you take a day and go if you visit Washington, DC!


End file.
